Conor Townsend says Albion still have it “all to play for” following a goalless draw with Southampton in their Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Semi-Final first leg.
The Baggies could not be separated from the Saints at The Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon, despite both teams having good chances in an entertaining opening 90 minutes.
And the left-back is confident his side have what it takes to go and win the second half of the tie down on the South Coast.
“It was a tough game,” said Townsend, talking to WBA TV after the match.
“We knew the atmosphere was going to be like it was. It was a great start to the game, even though we didn’t manage to capitalise.
“Turning up in the bus, the fans were all outside. I knew it was going to be a good atmosphere and they turned up. We know we’re taking a sold out away travelling down there and hopefully they can do it again.
“It’s 0-0 so we’ll take it into the second leg and it’s all to play for. We’ve shown today that we can match any team in this league. We’ve just got to go to their place and do the same.
“We’re all upbeat. We know that if we go there and win on Friday, then we’re going to Wembley. You don’t need any more motivation than that.
“We know what we’ve got in the dressing room - we’ve got confidence in that. We’ve shown today that we can match them.
“We’ll take that confidence into next week, and hopefully turn that into goals and a win.
“Play-Off games always seem to be red hot. It’s just one of those things. But the lads managed it well and I thought the subs when they came on made a massive difference - they allowed us to press a little bit more.
“We had some energy up the top with Jed (Wallace) and Swifty coming on, and Yann (M'Vila) in the middle. It allowed us to really take a foot-hold in the last 15 minutes and we had a couple of chances.
“The save ‘Palms’ made with the deflection, if we’d have lost to that then the lads would have been gutted. He’s been making those saves all season, he’s won the golden glove which is a great accolade.
“I think the saves he’s made throughout the season show what a top goalkeeper he is, and we’re lucky to have him.
“It wasn’t to be today but it’s all to play for on Friday.”
